The Garmin Forerunner 255S is popular among gym-goers for recording health metrics during and after exercises. It has a thin design, and the full-color display is easy to read even in direct sunshine. The wearable comes in two sizes: 46mm and 41mm. Plus, with up to 12 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 26 hours in GPS mode, you can keep track of your health for an extended period of time.
The best feature on this smartwatch is a morning report that summarizes your sleep and HRV state while also suggesting daily workouts based on your measurements from the previous day. This wristwatch can help you train for your next marathon or other large race.
The 41mm Garmin Forerunner 255S is now 35% down on Amazon, down from $350 to $230. This offer only applies to the Powder Gray version. The 46mm non-music model is lowered to $230, while the 46mm music model is $247.
Garmin Forerunner 255S
Notable features of the Garmin Forerunner 255S include:
- Performance Condition
- Running Dynamics
- Sweat-Ready Materials
- HRV Status
- Race Widget
- PacePro Feature
- Built-In Sports Apps
- Training Effect
- Triathlon and Multisport Profiles
- Morning Report
- Daily Suggested Workouts
- Visual Race Predictor
As a smartwatch, the 255S does an outstanding job of remaining useful while you are not out tracking activity. It is compatible with Android and iOS, and the experience of using the Garmin Connect companion phone software across those platforms is fairly uniform in terms of appearance and reliability while setting up, pairing, and syncing the watch.
The smartwatch features are same to those found on the 245. You have access to Garmin’s Connect IQ Store, which is not as high-quality as the Apple App Store in terms of programs, but it is a good location to obtain some extra watch faces, data fields, and widgets, but it can be slow to download and sync them at times.
Garmin Pay is also available here, allowing you to make contactless payments via your watch if your bank is supported, and it worked well for me when I needed to get a fast drink. However, it lacks the slickness and compatibility for banks that competitor watch-based payment systems provide.
Again, a touchscreen would be useful for interacting with the music features, but if you want to stream music, podcasts, and audiobooks on a sports watch, you should wear a Garmin 255s.
Other notable features include multiband GPS support (with dual-frequency support), which allows for more accurate GPS tracking, a barometric altimeter and compass (ideal for hitting the trail), and a plethora of cycling support, including VO2 max and the ability to connect to many bike gadgets via Bluetooth. The GPS support is worth highlighting because it is considerably more accurate, although it drains the battery quickly.
The Garmin Forerunner 255S is a watch that should last at least a week if you expect to utilize its primary sports tracking and smartwatch capabilities on a regular basis. Garmin says it should last 12 days, but getting there requires less use of core tracking modes. The MIP screen, as opposed to a power-hungry AMOLED, contributes to its long life.
The music streaming and continuous blood oxygen saturation monitoring are the main drains on battery life here, and they cause the battery life to decline substantially. If you can live without the 24-hour blood oxygen data, it is worth turning it off.
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Robert Haba is the founder and editor-in-chief of Droid Tools. A lifelong gadget enthusiast with over a decade following the Android ecosystem, he built this publication to cut through the noise and give readers honest, real-world coverage of the tech they actually use.
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